Nemos vs. Things 3 for iPhone: Notes App vs. Task Manager

Things 3, made by Cultured Code, is the gold standard for iPhone task management. It has won Apple Design Awards, maintained a loyal following for over a decade, and has influenced every task manager that came after it. But it is a task manager — and that distinction matters when you are looking for a notes app.

What Things 3 Does Well

Exceptional design. Things 3 is beautiful. The typography, spacing, animations, and interaction design are some of the best on the App Store. Using it is a pleasure. For users who care deeply about the quality of their tools, this matters more than a spec comparison suggests.

GTD-compatible structure. Things 3 organizes work into Areas (ongoing responsibilities like "Work" and "Personal"), Projects (goal-oriented, with tasks), and Tasks (individual actions). The Inbox captures everything that has not yet been triaged. This structure matches Getting Things Done methodology closely.

Today view. A curated daily view shows tasks scheduled for today, deadlines approaching, and tasks from your inbox. This becomes a single daily command center.

Headings and checklists. Tasks can have notes, checklists (sub-steps), and be organized under headings within a project. This gives tasks the richness of mini-documents without requiring a separate notes app.

Shortcuts and Siri. Things 3 has deep Shortcuts integration — you can add tasks via Siri, populate items from other apps, and automate task creation. The integration is more complete than most third-party apps.

One-time purchase, no subscription. Things 3 is a one-time purchase ($9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac). No subscription. Unusual in the modern app market, and appreciated by users who dislike recurring costs.

Apple Watch app. Things 3 has an Apple Watch companion. You can see today's tasks on your wrist and tick them off without reaching for your phone.

Where Things 3 Falls Short as a Notes App

Things 3 is a task manager, not a notes app. The differences matter:

Task-centric model. Everything in Things 3 is oriented around tasks — actionable items with completion states. Notes that are not tasks (observations, quotes, ideas without a next action) do not fit naturally.

Notes are secondary. Each task has a note field, but the note is an attribute of a task, not a first-class entity. You cannot have a standalone note without wrapping it in a task.

No free-form capture. Things 3 encourages structured input — adding a task with a project, area, and due date. Nemos encourages free-form capture — just start typing.

No quick-capture widget for notes. Things 3's widget adds tasks; it does not add notes. If what you want to capture is not a task, the widget is the wrong tool.

No Markdown-based note composing. Note fields in tasks are plain text without Markdown rendering or rich formatting.

What Nemos Does Differently

Nemos and Things 3 serve different capture needs:

Notes, not tasks. Nemos captures anything — an observation, a quote, a thought, a URL, a question. You do not need to decide whether it is actionable at capture time.

Floating capture button. Always visible, no context required. Things 3's quick entry adds a task; Nemos's button adds a note.

Lock screen capture. Capture without unlocking. Things 3's lock screen widget shows tasks; it does not accept new captures.

Share Sheet for note content. Send a highlighted passage or article quote to Nemos from any app. Things 3's Share Sheet adds the URL as a task, not as note content.

Search across note content. Full-text search across everything in your notes. Things 3 searches task titles and note fields, but the search is task-oriented.

The Right Pairing

Things 3 and Nemos complement each other naturally:

• Things 3: "I need to do X by Friday" → task in Things 3
• Nemos: "I noticed X, worth thinking about later" → note in Nemos
• Things 3: Project tracking, deadline management, daily planning
• Nemos: Idea capture, research notes, quotes, observations, quick references

Many productive iPhone users run both: Things 3 as their task engine, Nemos as their capture layer. The distinction is not one of quality — both are excellent at what they do — it is one of intent. Tasks belong in a task manager. Notes belong in a notes app.

Head-to-Head Comparison

FAQ

Can I use Things 3 instead of a notes app? For task-adjacent notes (meeting notes attached to a task, reference material for a project), yes. For general knowledge capture — quotes, observations, ideas — Things 3's task-centric model is awkward.

Does Things 3 have a web app? No. Things 3 is Apple-platform only: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. If you need a web or cross-platform notes app, Things 3 is not the right tool.

Is Things 3 worth the price with so many free alternatives? For task management, yes. The design quality, reliability, and feature depth justify the one-time cost compared to free alternatives. For notes, free apps like Apple Notes or Nemos's free tier are competitive.

Can Things 3 and Nemos share data? Not directly. You can add a Things 3 task that references a Nemos note by title, or share a Nemos note URL to Things 3 as a task reference. There is no built-in integration between the two apps.

Is Things 3 still being actively developed? Yes. Cultured Code continues to update Things 3. The pace of development is deliberate — major updates are infrequent but well-executed.

Related Reading

• Best iPhone Note-Taking Apps for Getting Things Done
• Nemos vs. Amplenote for iPhone: Which Note App Fits Your Workflow?
• How to Build a Personal CRM in Your iPhone Notes
• Nemos vs. Notion: Which Notes App Is Better for iPhone?

Sources

• Things 3 official documentation and pricing: culturedcode.com/things
• App Store reviews: Things 3 iOS — May 2026
• Allen, David. *Getting Things Done*. Penguin, 2001.
• Apple Design Awards. Things 3 winner documentation, 2017.